Needlewoman Sews Her Way to Top Award

Chatsworth needlewoman Zena Thorpe won Best of Show and the Founders’ Award at the recent Houston International Quilt Show for her appliqued quilt titled “Frogmore.”

The Founders’ Award was chosen and presented by four of the original founders of the Houston event, sponsored by the American International Quilt Assn., on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.

It was the third time Thorpe was invited to enter, and although she has won awards each time, this was the first time she took the top prize. In addition, a two-foot-square quilt she donated to the celebrity auction benefiting the association went for the top amount of $550.

Thorpe said most of the themes for her prize-winning quilts come from “my English heritage.” A naturalized citizen, she came to the United States in 1968.

“Frogmore” was inspired by a well-known ceiling painted in 1790 by Mary Moser in the great hall of a British mansion named Frogmore. It was Queen Victoria’s favorite residence and is known for its beautiful gardens.

Thorpe enjoys making her creations out of fabric. “Fabric carries with it a cozy sort of feeling,” she says. “It has form and texture--it carries with it a feeling of warmth and security.

“A painting is beautiful, but it doesn’t give one the same satisfaction as looking at the identical scene created in fabric.”